Burn Paradise
by SpeakingOfInfinity
Summary: My love is your disease, I won't let it set you free. Demi/Selena One shot.


**A/N 1: Hey all, I got another idea for a one shot so I decided, why not? I'm kind of nervous about posting this one because it's different than anything I've ever written and it's kind of dark. It doesn't really have a traditional ending so I don't know if everyone will like it. Thoughts or constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated. **

**A/N 2: Just in case some of you wanted to know, the songs that inspired me to write this are The Devil Within by The Digital Daggers and Good Enough by Evanescence. Check them out if you'd like, they're both great songs.**

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Demi's POV:

It was one of those days where something in the fall air made me wish I hadn't gone out at all. The leaves crinkled and crackled underneath my feet as I walked along the pavement, trying not to let my second thoughts get to me because there was nothing I wanted more. I had today planned out perfectly since forever, every detail, every word I would say, shoving all the nerves running through me aside. It was getting late outside and the wind started to blow harder so I picked up the pace to get to my destination. I'm so eager for my fairytale to unfold that I forgot all the stress it took me to make my decision. All I know is the way I feel, regardless of the signs my girlfriend has been pushing in my face but I chose to ignore them. I pull my black beanie tightly over my ears and slightly shiver, rounding the corner. I can't wait. But I waited too long.  
My house suddenly comes into view and I practically jog up the driveway onto the stone steps. I notice that the car my girlfriend usually drove to work in was parked in the garage. I wondered why, realizing that today wasn't one of the days she had off. I shrugged it off optimistically, thinking maybe she just wasn't feeling well. Stupid. Then again, maybe she was wondering the same thing. She thought I was at work too, but I'd called in sick today just for the occasion. I left at the time I normally would have, but instead of going to the KSP paint company I was employed at down the road, I went to pick up what I had specially ordered at Fed-X, not wanting it to be delivered to the house. Currently I was just moments away from what seemed like I'd waited eternity to ask. I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, wishing for the best. I was confident but all the same so nervous.  
I heard my own heart pounding rapidly in my chest as I turned the door knob to my front door and took my first steps inside. I chuckled at the sound of the TV blaring some familiar sex scene in the living room. I wanted to be watching the movie with my girlfriend, holding her in my arms, but this was much more important. After I asked what I was about to I could spend as much time as I wanted cuddling, kissing, and going on cute dinner dates. I made my way over to the source of the sound and I'll be damned if the TV wasn't on. It sounded too familiar. I looked around and suddenly nothing felt right. Everything seemed suspicious, even the clock on the wall above the fireplace. I was terrified to take another step as a horrible feeling washed over me. Approaching my bedroom, I knew good and well I didn't have a television in there. I tiptoed to the door and just stood there in denial. This isn't what it sounds like, I told myself. You're overreacting, I thought. But as soon as I glanced through the crack in the door it was over. I watched the girl I was in love with make love to somebody else.  
My world came crashing down as I ran my tongue across my teeth. I backed out of the hallway, utterly disgusted, hurt, angry, frustrated, and just about every other emotion you could possibly feel. I wanted answers, an explanation, anything at all. But at the same time, I just wanted to leave. So I did. Nothing could erase the pain or images I'd just previously seen flashing through my mind.  
The next couple days I pretended like nothing happened. I gave it all the effort I had to make sure I didn't come off as cold or distant. I'd flinch every time she'd intertwine her hand with mine, or tell me that she loved me. I knew the truth but I didn't want her to know. So every time she'd be acting, so would I. We were equal in a way, but we wouldn't be for long. She'd hurt me too much for me to just let it go. 3 long years of everything I'd put into a relationship that wasn't even real. I was just waiting for my opportunity. Sure enough, it came.  
It was a perfect Friday for disaster, just like the Friday I'd found her with someone else 3 weeks ago. She was at work, supposedly, which meant I had the house to myself for 9 hours. I planned on using my time wisely. I walked into the kitchen, searched through the drawers, and found what I was looking for. It didn't take me long to convince myself that this was what I wanted to do. I didn't bother gathering any of my clothes, or any of my belongings at all. All I saved was my iPhone, the charger, and my purse, but it was all I needed. I walked into the front yard and took a long look at my house, our house, for the last time. With steady hands, I carried through. Soon, the place I'd once called a comfortable home would be nothing but an empty lot.

Selena's POV:

My hands gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white. The guilt was eating me alive. But a part of me didn't care. Did I? I took a shaky breath and put the car in drive as I exited the parking lot. Everything about Demi's personality had changed in the past few months. Didn't I deserve the love she hadn't been showing for me? It got lonely. Some where in the middle of hiding the truth I wanted something else, or I thought I did. But still, I always fucking wanted her. That was why I started going out of my ways like I did. I felt like my feelings for her were too strong and I'd never get that back. All I needed to know was that she cared.

Little did I know...

I pulled onto my street and slowly pushed the break. I looked for the house and almost missed it. I parked and got out of the car, glancing at the mailbox with the utmost confusion. At first I thought I wasn't seeing it right. The only reassurance I had that this was the property were the numbers on the mailbox. That was all that was left. No house, just ashes. I stared at the now black grass covered in smut, and suddenly I was fighting the urge to scream, or cry. I walked to where the front door would have been, and it all started coming out. I sobbed for a while, sitting on the ground alone. I knew it wasn't an accident before the little slip of paper beside me even caught my eye. Some time after I broke down I finally gathered the courage to pick it up. Beside it was a single match, one that had obviously been lit. I looked at the note, reading it at an unusual pace. I recognized the handwriting all too well the moment I felt something attached to the back of the slip of paper. I removed the small object from the note and unraveled the tape that had secured it to the back. My thoughts came to a dead end when I saw it. I couldn't think at all. Resting in my hands was a beautiful ring, one that she'd inevitably planned to propose with.

"Selena,  
If I were to marry you for all the times I believed in your lies, I'd have every right to burn paradise."


End file.
